Atomic Mage by Garrett Carter (short books for teens txt) 📕

to keep the slavers from using some sort of water-filled tube to make their way back to the second floor of their home to stand in a soaked but menacing line.

"You got him, Drake, he got the drop on us once not trying to go for another swim." One of the human slavers said to a slightly built wolfman.

"Yea I got him, Heath, its gonna take me hours to dry out after we bring them in though," Drake said as he violently shook, spraying cold river water all over the wood flooring and the other slavers around him.

"Damn it Drake we all don't want to smell like a wet dog for the rest of the night. Than dry us off please, damn dog." Heath said sputtering as the deluge of cold river water reached even him from three men away.

"Done." Said Than a tall heavily built orc.

Cade watched as what he assumed was their water mage remove the river water from his companions with half a mind.

The other half was back to running a million miles per hour, this time on how to get him and his mates out of this situation.

He attempted to slip them back into his mental grasp, but one of the spikes drove deeper into his chest puncturing his right lung, the pain and the momentary inability to breathe breaking his concentration.

"No no no, can't have any of that," Heath said in a tone that reminded Cade of the scoldings he had given his kids when they were children.

"Men, secure the women, the cat Rista wants and the snake will fetch a nice price after we cut out the more valuable pieces," Heath ordered to his men.

Before the slavers could lay a hand on his mates Cade drew deep of the power available to him and threw copies of his mental shield around his mates tying off the power drain to his generator.

He was sure he would hear about that later from at least Mina if the scowl and fiery golden gaze directed at him were any indication.

Halting their movement at the appearance of the softly glowing shields, Heath held up both hands twin flames burst from his hands to slam against Mina and Sabine's shields.

Cade mentally screamed both his mate's names as they disappeared from his view, their shields covered completely in red hot flames.

A relieved breath left him as he found them both unharmed and still annoyed at him for keeping them out of the fight.

"We will talk of this later my mate after these vermin are exterminated," Mina said with a growl, her annoyed tone and the nod from Sabine sealed Cade's fate.

"Maybe them killing me wouldn't be so bad." He thought to himself.

"You wouldn't dare."

As Sabine's vehement voice sounded in his mind Cade's anxiety doubled.

"Sorry sorry, just a stray thought my little snake." He thought back with a mental cringe, mental lips puckered and searching for a small bubbled snake booty to lay one on.

"Good my Cade do not let those thoughts come again, I have not had a chance to enjoy that body you are so willing to let go yet," she replied into his mind, her soft but firm voice rallying more than his will with her implied promise.

"Yes mam, now let get this sorted, one second of peace please,"

"You have five minutes my mate, or I will take over for your protection duties," Mina said with a fierce purr into Cade's mind.

Thinking quickly through the encounter with the slavers, he realized he couldn't stop their powers or even sense their use.

He could kill them all with a thought, only his foolish indecision kept them alive earlier.

Hoping that Heath, Drake, and Than were the only mages, he planned to kill Heath and Than and let the girls work out some catharsis on the rest.

He would like to keep Drake alive to figure out how he kept him from removing the spikes, but the others would die and hopefully lessen the stern talking to he was going to get from the girls later.

"Ok boys, playtime is over, Heath and Than you two die first then the rest the ladies are gonna take care of. Drake, me and you are going to have a talk."

Cade said evenly as he lay on the deck, still impaled by the metal spikes.

"You aren't going to do shit," Heath said with a smirk as he resumed pouring flames on Mina and Sabine's shields.

With his plan laid out for the slaver's demise, he implemented it.

Through gritted teeth, as the dozen spikes drove deeper into his flesh by Drake after his declaration, he obliterated Heath and Than's brains.

The two mages dropped bonelessly to the floor before Cade suddenly felt the spikes resistance to him fall away as Drake's eyes widened as he looked between the two dead mages.

As Drake's surprise destroyed his concentration the force of Cade's power shot the metal spikes out of his body to fly away at bullet speeds in every direction.

He was doubly glad for the shields around his mates to either side of him as a few of the projectiles pinged off the shields and ricochet into the darkness.

The remaining slavers were less fortunate.

One of them went down with a couple of the spikes in his leg and another with one in a less savory area that caused Cade and a few others to cringe at the high pitch squeal the man let out at his impromptu prince albert.

While the slavers were distracted by the grizzly scene Cade removed the shields from his mates and grasped Drake by the